Crossing Boundaries
by SelenetheNerd
Summary: His life was put on hold so that he could live another. Now back in the world of chakra and Shinobi, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and youngest of the Espada will show the Elemental Nations that nothing is as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

_Blood. Screams of rage and pain. The taste of airborne agony clinging to the atmosphere. The motion of sheathing his zanpakuto, though not out of fear or hesitation. The faint memory of apathetically allowing the strawberry blonde Soul Reaper and Aizen's captive walk past him without a fight. The Soul Reaper attack him. He broke the boy's arm and sent him rocketing into a pillar. _

'_Cling to your life and flee.' He had said, no trace of arrogance in his voice. 'I believe in second chances. So take your companions and leave Hueco Mundo before your home is destroyed by the traitor of the Shinigami.'_

_He had known that the girl, Orihime, could heal his broken arm in no time. After all, she gave Grimmjow back his arm and his position as the Seis Espada in a matter of minutes. With his piece said, he vanished via Sonido and went to retrieve the bodies of Loly and Menoly. That was, of course, before he was cut down by Gin Ichimaru. His face remained blank as he fell from the top of the main base._

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki stood in the Forest of Death with his arms crossed as he leaned against one of the thicker tree trunks. This wasn't the first time his conscious mind was haunted by memories of his past life, though was it truly a past life if you lived did while your current life was on hold? It mattered not. During his time in Hueco Mundo he gained power and allies, skills that would give even the Sandaime trouble. Not that the young Espada would ever think about challenging his Ji-chan.

Speaking of allies, he could sense them coming with his _Pesquisa _technique. The technique was especially useful since he also had access to chakra unlike those arrogant beings in Hueco Mundo, so the technique had double the usage. Within seconds, three women appeared in front of him, each one a knee as they bowed to him in respect and reverence. The first one was his friend, classmate and first Fraccion, Menoly Mallia. With slicked blonde hair that fringed over her covered eye and a tomboy's features, she was the more docile out of his Fraccion duo. Her mask fragment hid her right eye, while her exposed sea green left eye was constantly scanning for any threats to her precious Naruto-sama.

The girl next to her, and his second Fraccion, was Loly Aivirrne. Her hair, dark and shiny as a raven's wing, was styled in twin pigtails that reached down her back. Her mask fragment covered her left eye, while her hot pink right eye burned with unhidden malice for anyone that thought they were good enough to even so much as breathe her beloved master's air. She was, by far, the most protective of the thirteen year old Espada despite his number, power, and skill.

The final Arrancar was a friend and ally that Naruto swore had a crush on him despite the age gap between them. Her purple eyes burned with Arrancar pride which often translated to arrogance, her purple hair came down in wavy curtains on either side of her face, and her mask resembled a hair clip that was positioned directly over her forehead. Cirucci Sanderwicci, the Arrancar-turned-Jōnin, was the first to raise her head and look into the crimson eyes of her master.

"Please forgive our tardiness, Naruto-sama." she spoke in a quiet voice.

Naruto looked over his friends and followers. "Stand. You have nothing to apologize for. Have you completed your individual missions?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

Cirucci was instructed to inform the Sandaime of what happened, while Menoly and Loly were to ensure that they remained uninterrupted. Unfortunately, mere seconds had barely managed to pass as Iruka Umino landed in front of the trio. Surprise etched itself onto his features when he noticed the Jōnin and trio of genin-hopefuls; at first he didn't even notice the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing for his eyes were glued to the kneeling Jōnin that was imploring the redhead to further their relationship beyond master-servant, to which the boy explained that he didn't see any of them as servants. Only after the initial shock wore off did he notice the stolen scroll.

"Naruto," he said, the surprise still evident in his voice. "What's going on here? Why do you have the Forbidden Scroll? Cirucci-san, why aren't you trying to retrieve it?"

The blonde, ravenette, and purple haired woman fixed the scarred Chūnin with an icy, ball shriveling glare. Traces of killing intent leaked from them as their looks caused the man to retreat a couple of steps though his incredulous gaze remained on Naruto. His eyes, a sinister crimson with slitted pupils, held the glazed appearance of one who was more than a little bored.

"What about your dream of being Hokage?" asked Iruka in a quiet, yet stern tone. "What about getting people to acknowledge and respect you?"

It was a pipe dream at most, wishful thinking normally, and a childish delusion at worst. The citizens of Konohagakure have and will always see Naruto as the Kyuubi that destroyed the village that moonlit night thirteen years ago. On the other hand, it wasn't a secret that both the Sandaime and Iruka himself cared about Naruto the most in the village, both of them topped only by Teuchi and Ayame.

"That dream has long since died," Naruto enlightened the man that considered him a younger brother, his face seeming to age as he spoke those very words. "I no longer care about the view of the villagers, nor do I care about the hat. My main concern is my people. Cirucci-chan, have you managed to get information on the team compositions?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama." the woman said with a respectful incline of her head. "You, Menoly, and Loly are being separated and unfortunately I could not take you three as my genin. You will be on the team with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Menoly will be on a team with Shino Aburam and Hinata Hyuga. Loly will be on the team with Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi."

A thoughtful expression returned the youth to the redhead's face. "Do you have any idea why I was placed on Team Kakashi?"

"Aside from the fact you placed dead last in your classes? It would seem that you are the son of his late sensei." illuminated Cirucci as she turned her violet eyes to the moon above.

At the term 'dead last' Naruto's expression turned murderous, as though he were mere moments away of removing the Jōnin's head from her neck with his bare hands. One look at the genin-hopeful had the purple haired woman on her knees begging for his forgiveness. He gave it after a moment of glaring at her. Needless to say, Cirucci Sanderwicci was glad that her master was a man who believed in second chances.

This was something Iruka found strange; what Jōnin would bow and beg for a Genin to forgive them? If anything, he would expect the roles to be reversed. Still, the thunderous look that had darkened the youth's face lifted at once and he turned his gaze back to the scarred man standing before him.

"Naruto-sama," spoke Loly. "Mizuki is on his way."

'_Why would Mizuki…?'_ was his thought before he spoke up with widened eyes. "Naruto, what are you and Mizuki planning on doing with the scroll?"

Loly turned a deadly glower to Iruka, one that promised pain and suffering the likes of which they only told about in horror stories. "You do _not _question, Naruto-sama."

Her voice was like ice, her tone like the abyss. Her sole pink eye darkened with an hatred that was fathomless, something that was quickly replaced with love and admiration when she looked back to Naruto Uzumaki.

"That's enough, Loly. Regardless of the past, I still consider Iruka-sensei an older brother of sorts. It is for that reason, sensei, that you must not witness this." The tone of finality made Iruka want to run and never look back but before he could decide on what to actually do, he noticed something off about his favorite student.

There was a violet glint highlighting his crimson eyes. The color combination was hypnotic if not completely horrifying. He noticed movement at the edge of his vision. Purple cherry blossoms began falling before him as a light violet haze seemed to coat the area. Iruka felt his vision blur as his eyes refused to focus on the boy with scarlet eyes. The world around him began spinning and he felt gravity claim him, he heard his most precious pupil whisper a single word.

'_Hakufuku,'_

The four Arrancar looked to the unconscious Chūnin, the three numeros turning to their master with looks of utter astonishment. They gaped at him as they had all witnessed the effects of the technique he used, despite the brunette male being the only one affected. It was Menoly that had the courage to ask the question that was on all of their minds.

"Um, N-Naruto-sama, if I may?" she started, only to blush lightly as she watched his eye burn into her own. "What technique was that?"

"It was a Bakudō spell." He explained. "One that I learned from tasting the blood of a Shinigami. I know approximately four of these particular spells."

'_As expected of Naruto-sama,' _was the collective thought from the numeros before Naruto called their attention.

"He's here. Cirucci, take Iruka-sensei back home. And thank you for your hard work today, I appreciate it greatly."

Loly pouted as an attractive blush colored the purple haired woman's fair cheeks. With a slight bow at the waist, she placed a hand on the fallen man's shoulder and vanished from sight via _Sonído_. Mizuki landed before the trio of genin-hopefuls mere seconds after the older Arrancar left.

"Excellent job, Naruto." smiled the traitorous Chūnin. "Now just hand the scroll to me and you'll officially have gotten your own personal trainer."

An ominous smile curved his lips as he looked into the older man's dark green eyes. Due to his ability to sense negative emotions, the youngest Espada could literally feel the hatred and deceit rolling off of his every word.

"You know something, sensei? Being the jinchuriki to the Kyuubi has given me some wondrous abilities." He said as a seemingly off-handed comment, not at all missing the look of absolute malice darken the man's features. "One of which is the ability to sense negative emotions. Do you understand what that means? It means you cannot lie to me."

The man's hand twitched as he reached for a kunai, but soon heard a dull thud. When he turned his head, he noticed that his right arm was laying severed in the grass. Beside him stood Loly, her tantō sized Zanpakutō dripping blood, her visible pink eye glinting with a sadistic maliciousness. He hissed, backing away from the three genin. This shouldn't have been possible; he was a Chūnin, damn it!

"You see, Mizuki-sensei, Sandaime Ji-chan is already aware of what is happening at this very moment. A pity you'll not live to see your plan come to fruition." spoke Naruto in a tone of enlightened pity, before turning his gaze to one of his beloved Fraccion. "Loly-chan."

It was then that she spoke the words that her enemies would never live to hear a second time With a wicked grin and nigh-demonic glint in her eye, she said. "Poison, _Escolopendra_."

* * *

"Before we begin with the team placements, I would like to say that I am very proud of you all. You're now taking the first steps in your career as shinobi. Serve Konoha well." smiled Iruka.

After he finished his speech, he went ahead and went into the team placements. It was quite bizarre; he felt as though he hadn't gotten any sleep or rather, his sleep was a fitful one. When he woke up this morning, he was shaken from a nightmare that was vivid within his muddied consciousness. One in which his rather cold and aloof pupil, his ersatz little brother, betrays Konoha by handing the Forbidden Scroll over to Mizuki. Something that was made worse when he consulted the Hokage prior to arriving to his classroom. The aged man was well aware of what had taken place last night, that he allowed Naruto to handle the situation.

'_Something about him has changed, Iruka.'_ The Professor had said. '_I don't know what it is, but he's different. Colder. I watched what happened last night. Needless to say, I'm going to have Kakashi keep a close eye on the boy.'_

Iruka didn't bother mentioning Cirucci-san, nor did he mention that strange genjutsu that Naruto cast. Perhaps that was why he felt as though he hadn't gotten a decent night's rest. Yet another bizarre thing; Naruto's chakra reserves were equal to those of the Sandaime, though his chakra control wasn't nearly as delicate. Which meant that medical ninjutsu and genjutsu were two things that the frosty redhead shouldn't have the ability to do. But even as he concluded the team composition for team six, his mind could scarcely recollect the hypnotic falling of the violet cherry blossoms. The gentle, sweet smelling haze that accompanied them. The strange purple hue tainting his scarlet eyes. It was eerie, to say the least.

"Alright, that brings us to Team Seven. Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki are the genin that make up that squad, and your Jōnin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake."

"Ha!" Sakura boasted loudly, pointing at her former friend, Ino Yamanaka. "Take that, Ino-pig!"

Loly and Menoly frowned and sunk into their respective seats. Cirucci had already told them that they wouldn't be on a squad with their master, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Especially when that waste of space with the pink hair, who so loudly boasted that 'true love' and 'destiny' were the reasons that she was on a team with 'Sasuke-kun', had very few redeeming qualities. The platinum blonde reminded her that Naruto was a part of the squad, and that deflated the pinkette at once. Loly moved to strike the girl for her impudence towards Naruto, but the redhead grasped her wrist.

The ravenette remained in her seat with a blush on her face. When she looked to her right, her master was looking out of the window, as he was prone to do. Briefly, her mind went back last night where her Naruto-sama pet her head and praised her for a job well done in dealing with that traitorous bastard. Loly was many things; a bitch, vindictive, sadistic, malicious, and everything in between. But her weakness was indeed head pats and praise from the red haired Espada.

One by one, Jōnin arrived to claim their new students, each different in specialties and abilities. A woman named Kurenai and a man named Asuma arrived together for Teams Eight and Ten.

"Protect your comrades and your sensei." were Naruto's only directions. "Do not use your Resurrección unless you feel like you have no other choice."

"Yes, Naruto-sama." answered his Fracción before they left with the remainder of their teams.

Before long, only the members of Team Seven remained; a brooding Uchiha, a lovestruck Haruno, and an uncaring Uzumaki.

* * *

"Good morning, Team Eight." greeted Konoha's Genjutsu Specialist. "My name is Kurenai Yūhi. The first thing you should know is this; my job is not to teach you flashy jutsu or how to win over your crush. My job is to groom you to be the best shinobi and kunoichi that you could possibly, to help you unlock your true potential, and teach you to get through missions the proper way. Am I understood?"

Though she nodded, Menoly couldn't help but notice that the woman before her was somewhat similar to her master in that she had a cold aura about her. From this brief introduction, her second thought was that the woman's personality left a lot to be desired.

"Now before we begin with the introductions, let me explain something. Team Eight will be mainly taking missions that involve tracking, infiltration, and espionage. Stealth will be our main focus." explained the ruby-eyed kunoichi, before smiling faintly. "Now, let us introduce ourselves."

"M-My name is H-Hinata Hyuuga. I l-like watching the moon, and I d-dislike those w-who take their anger out on o-others. I h-hope we get along."

'_We'll have to work on the stuttering and her confidence.'_ Without a doubt, Hiashi Hyuuga was the reason the young girl has such low self esteem.

"My name is Shino Aburame," his voice was monotonous, deadpan. "I like discovering new species of insects and I dislike insecticides, for obvious reasons."

Kurenai almost wanted to chuckle at the last bit; the Aburame clan were known for their stony stoicism. The bit about insecticide, due to his rather deadpan delivery, could be mistaken for a joke. She doubted it heavily.

"My name is Menoly Mallia." her voice was quiet but she spoke with a confidence that normally came with years of experience. "I like training and ramen, and I dislike those that disrespect my closest friend. I do hope we can get along."

Kurenai fixed the blonde with a curious stare. According to Iruka, that could be one of two people; another kunoichi named Loly, or the village pariah, Naruto Uzumaki. More research would have to be done before she could come up with something solid, but so far Kurenai was relatively happy with her genin team. A shy Hyuuga, a stoic Aburame, and the quiet Mallia. It could be worse. She could have a bunch of rowdy students.

"As I've said, my name is Kurenai. I like reading, and I dislike those who think kunoichi aren't as powerful as our male counterparts. Now, with the introductions out of the way, we will meet tomorrow for a short exercise. Be at Training Ground Eight at seven. Do not come late, or you will fail. You're dismissed."

* * *

Asuma Sarutobi, only son of the Sandaime Hokage, sighed as he lit one of his premium cigarettes. As a laid back man, not unlike Kakashi, he preferred things to go off without a hitch. As a shinobi, he was taught to always expect the unexpected, for literally anything could happen in this line of work. Why he didn't expect to get the girl with opposing crushes, however, was something he couldn't answer. Between Ino's obsessive devotion to Sasuke, and Loly's loyalty to Naruto, Asuma couldn't tell who was worse.

"I'm only saying that I don't see what the big deal is." taunted Loly with an uncaring expression that would surely make Naruto-sama proud as she folded her arms beneath her still budding bosoms. "All he does is grunt and call people like you annoying. Not that he's wrong."

He would be lying if he didn't acknowledge the power that rolled off of the provocatively dressed ravenette. Despite her standing in the class, the clan head had a feeling that the pink-eyed girl would give him a run for his money. And that was without the blade that smelled faintly of toxins. Asuma didn't know how to feel about that; why the girl had chakra reserves that would put most Jōnin to shame.

Ino flared up with righteous indignation. "Sasuke-kun is the best in our class. He's leagues better than that idiot, Naruto."

Asuma felt the temperature drop at once. Loly was suddenly in front of Ino with her hand wrapped tightly around the heiresses throat. He didn't even see her move. Despite them being the same height, the ravenette lifted the platinum blonde off of the ground, her exposed eye burning with pure rage and hatred. Asuma was beside her at once, his hand gripping her bone cold flesh.

His normally calm demeanor was gone, a dangerous aura in its place. "Loly, that's enough."

She ignored him and tightened her hold on that blonde bitch's throat until her fair flesh started coloring. "If you ever insult him in front of me again, your parents won't have enough of your corpse to bury."

Loly threw the girl to the ground and nonchalantly brushed off Asuma's grip. From her place on the ground, Ino spluttered, gasping for air. At the same time, Choji was hiding behind a tree, his barbeque flavored chips forgotten. When all had calmed once again, it was obvious that this team was going to need a lot of work; Loly stared off to the side, Ino threw hateful glares at her while maintaining a distance that showed fear, and Choji was caught in the middle, equally afraid of both kunoichi on his squad.

The son of the Sandaime sighed. This wasn't supposed to end up like this; today was supposed to be simple. They were only introducing themselves and then the two girls with opposing crushes started arguing about who was better. With a sigh, Asuma lit yet another one of his premium cigarettes. He had quite a ways to go with his team. It was official; Asuma needed a drink.

* * *

After two hours, Kakashi Hatake entered the classroom in which his genin team sat in various states of being; Sasuke Uchiha was brooding as he had been for the past two hours while irritation rolled off of him in near tangible waves, Sakura Haruno was staring dreamily at the dark haired boy while completely ignoring any and everything that wasn't Sasuke, while Naruto Uzumaki sat unmoving in a meditative state.

"My first impression of you all is," Kakashi paused for dramatic effect before noticing that only one person was paying attention to his very presence. "You're all boring. Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

Naruto didn't make any movements but suddenly vanished and reappeared before the masked Jōnin. Though Kakashi didn't speak, it was clear that he was slightly surprised. Neither male said anything, preferring to let the silence speak. The silence grew heavy after a while, but Sasuke and his number one fan thankfully showed up.

"Alright." smirked Kakashi beneath his mask. "Let's all introduce ourselves. How about your first?"

Sakura finally managed to tear her gaze away from the object of her affections to turn to her sensei. "Why don't you go first so we know how you expect us to do it?"

The white haired man sweatdropped. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I like a lot of things, just like I dislike a lot of things. My dreams for the future… I don't have any. Your turn."

"My name is Sakura Haruno," That was all the pink haired girl managed to get out in between glancing at her crush and squealing uncontrollably.

Naruto was annoyed and had to resist the urge to snap her neck. As a 'him', he didn't revel in killing, but the Espada in him did. He often thought of himself as a strange mix of Stark, Halibel, and Ulquiorra. Like him, they were Espada that didn't necessarily like taking lives. Of course, they would, but the fact remained.

"Alright. You're next."

Sasuke folded his hands in front of his mouth as hatred darkened his features. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like many things, while I dislike a lot of things. My dream is not a dream, for I will make it a reality. My goal is to kill a certain man and restore the honor of my fallen clan."

Sakura felt her face heat up as she pondered on how cool Sasuke was. Kakashi raised a speculative brow. Naruto didn't care.

"And you?"

The redhead looked into his sensei's exposed eye for but a moment before looking away. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. That is all I will share."

All eyes turned to him. Sakura wanted to say something, but the frosty, near murderous look in his slitted eyes forbade her from even moving her lips. He had no power over her, but she had a feeling that he would hurt her if she dared to insult him. Not that it had stopped her before, but that was before he was tortured into a coma. Since coming out, he'd been different. The pranks stopped. He no longer smiled, and his eyes never returned to the oceanic cerulean they had once been. Many called Sakura what they wanted, but she was capable of paying attention to things other than Sasuke, albeit not for very long.

Sasuke could feel the power rolling off of the dead last, he had no thoughts save for the hope that the idiot tomato didn't hold him back. Meanwhile Kakashi could blame the kid for being guarded; he was dealt a shit hand, and this was how he was coping with it. Regardless, there was a darkness about him that seemed to make Sasuke's seem unimportant. It was like comparing a shadow during the day, the encompassing night sky. It made the masked Jōnin hesitant. Regardless, Naruto was his sensei's child, so Kakashi would be damned if he didn't try to help him as he planned to help Sasuke.

"Well then, that's all for today. We're going to have a little test tomorrow, so meet up at Training Ground Seven at seven tomorrow morning. Oh, and I recommend you don't eat breakfast."

Before Sakura could point out that they had already taken a test, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves. Naruto, too, vanished without so much as a word to his new team. Sakura went to ask Sasuke on a date, but the moment she opened her mouth, he replied with an easy 'No,'. Dejected, the pinkette went home to think about everything that happened today.


	2. Chapter 2

'_Why?'_

_That had become the sole question running through her mind as Cirucci began to fade into nothingness. Why was the Quincy boy so strong? Why was she so weak? Why was she going to die? She alone possessed and was the master of the most queer of the Zanpakutō amongst the Arrancar; a whip whose end was attached to a disk-shaped razor that could both shear and bludgeon. She was a Numeros, one of the hundreds of thousands that made up Aizen-sama's army. An army of Arrancar, one of whom she knew how the ability to produce literally hundreds of himself at one time. A single fact peeked through the darkness that was slowly enveloping her. _

_She was expendable._

_That realization hurt more than the bizarre blade of that damned Quincy that pierced her chest. Among all of the Numeros, among all of the Arrancar, Cirucci Sanderwicci was expendable. Perhaps even more so than the nameless bitch with the pink hair whose Zanpakutō took the form of a regal staff. Seriously, the uppity bitch often looked down on Cirucci despite not even having a name of her own. Yet again, she was more than likely alive while the wielder of Golondrina lay on the floor of the base, dying a slow and agonizing death._

"_Why?"_

"_Because like most other Arrancar, your arrogance cost you." it was his voice that cut through the onset of the buzzing in her ears, his voice that made her dying heart quicken as though she were a pitiful human schoolgirl who had laid eyes upon her crush. "You saw him as a mere human. The power of the Quincy rivals the Soul Reapers, at least until the Shinigami release their true powers."_

_It was with great effort that Cirucci turned lifted her head to look at the one man she held in an even higher regard than Aizen-sama. The Espada who rivaled both Stark and Yammy in power, the one who that brain dead imbecile Wonderweiss avoided like the plague. It was strange to think that a child could instill fear within the others, but he did. And it was that power that the fallen Numeros couldn't help but find so attractive._

"_N-Naruto-san."_

_His cold crimson eyes did something to her nether regions as he looked down on her, his normally cold gaze oddly compassionate. "It's such a shame to see such a powerful and beautiful Arrancar like this."_

_Cirucci couldn't detect any ridicule in his voice; he wasn't mocking her. "Y-You think I'm strong?"_

_He nodded once. "Without a doubt. Only one as strong as you could master such a bizarre and unwieldy Zanpakutō."_

_Cirucci didn't realize it, but that was the exact moment she had fallen in love with the red haired Arrancar. As being that were once Hollows, the Arrancar were both drawn to and craved strength above all else. Hollows are being of fear that once flocked to stronger members of their race in servitude, perhaps for protection or to usurp the title of 'strongest' when the time was right. It would only make sense, then, for that craving to remain part of them when they made the ascension to Arrancar. _

_The purple haired Numeros continued to stare at the redhead Espada despite the darkness that appeared at the edges of her vision. For the briefest of moments, his eyes changed color. At this point, Cirucci couldn't tell if she was hallucinating or if this was real but still she remained lost in the eyes of the man before her. Once scarlet eyes had become the brightest shade of blue she had ever seen, surpassing that of cerulean and ultramarine. It was as though the sun was being filtered through the ocean, the rays of light continually bouncing without finding purchase until they managed to somehow escape through his eyes. By the Gods that protected Hueco Mundo, if there were any, she could swear that part of her dead soul left and traveled into the light that were his eyes. Naruto held out a hand to her._

"_Come with me," he whispered near seductively. "And I'll help you attain power so great that even Aizen would fear you."_

_Breathless, though whether it was due to his eyes or the fact she was still dying could have been anyone's guess, she nodded shortly and fought to raise her hand to clasp his. "Yes,"_

_At once, a foreign power kissed her blood and she found her heart beating stronger than ever. The numbness was gone as was the darkness that dared taint the edges of her vision. Her body no longer shook and as she stood, she turned her gaze to her true savior. To her god. In one swift and fluid motion, she sank to a knee bowed. This one gesture was a powerful one amongst the denizens of Hueco Mundo; it signified that here and now, Cirucci denounced her fealty to Aizen and now served the man before her._

"_Do not bow to me," he said, his divine eyes returning to the crimson they were all familiar with. "Only do such when I show that I'm worth it. Regardless, my time here is drawing to a close. With this, you will come with me when I return home. For now, hide from any other Arrancar and do not engage the Shinigami and humans that have come to rescue Aizen's hostage."_

* * *

Cirucci sighed wistfully at the memory that she held above all others. People could call her what they wished, but she hated being away from her beloved. It was like an ache that she couldn't quite reach to soothe, and only his presence would ease it. It was pitiful. Such a powerful woman that craved the attention of her beloved to such an extent. Well, the Hokage had given her the day off. Where did Naruto-sama say he was going to be? Searching her memory, she could see herself staring lovingly into those ominous crimson eyes that were all his own as they all shared how their respective days went.

"_-test at Training Ground Seven." _he'd said as he leaned back across the couch.

With a very feminine squeal, an excited Cirucci Sanderwicci vanished as she made her way to her destination. A set of eyes were on her and as the owner vanished to follow her rather unique chakra signature, they couldn't help but wonder what had such a normally stoic woman showing such positive emotion.

* * *

Asuma was bitter as he dodged yet another crimson blast of concentrated chakra fired from the ravenette of Team Ten. As of right now, only Loly and Choji were making an effort to claim the bells that hung limply from his waist. The only son of the Sandaime quick to learn to never underestimate the provocatively dressed genin. He was forced to take out his custom-made chakra blades as a way to counter her tanto. And that only because he refused to allow himself to get hit by any of her taijutsu strikes. The tree she hit in place of him, since he managed to just barely dodge the attack, was effectively split in two.

He dodged yet another axe kick and sought to retaliate with a vicious uppercut. Loly tilted her head to the right to dodge the attack, missing the actual blade of his knuckle knives caress her chin. Asuma felt it, however. What should have had the girl bleeding or even clinging to life at worst, hadn't even scratched her flesh.

'_What the hell?'_

He decided to try again. Sidestepping her straight punch with ease, he tossed a jab and a follow up reverse punch. His hits landed cleanly but still had little to no effect on the girl instead of irritating her. With a spin, she planted her right foot in his stomach. He let out an 'oomph' as he doubled over, only to receive her left foot to his temple. The Jōnin was sent careening across the field only to have Choji pin him down long enough for Ino to grab the bells.

Asuma would have gotten up, but he gave himself a moment to stop seeing double. Team Ten smiled at him when he finally did rise. Kami, Loly had one hell of a kick. And what the hell was with her eating his punches like they were nothing. Keeping it as something to ponder on later, preferably with either his lover or father, the man congratulated them on officially becoming Team Ten and dismissed them for the day. Of course, before any of them could leave, he mentioned that they would meet up to start training in the morning.

"Do you guys want to get something to eat to celebrate?" asked Choji hopefully.

Ino shook her head with a smile as Loly began walking off. "No thanks, I'm on a diet for Sasuke-kun."

Neither missed the derisive snort Loly gave them before literally vanishing. It was half past time to spy on Naruto-sama.

* * *

Kurenai was currently having issues with Team Eight. Between trying to avoid Hinata's Gentle Fist strikes, and escaping Shino's insects, she was already having a hard time. It didn't help that Menoly was a literal wildcard that managed to weave in between Hinata's strikes or allowed Shino's kinkaichu to hitch rides on her wakizashi. Kenjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, Menoly was gifted in those areas. There was one thing she didn't show any skill in. Hinata and Shino were immune due to the Byakugan and kikaichu respectively, but Menoly didn't have any of that.

"_Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique." _Kurenai grinned as she focused her chakra on Menoly, allowing the genjutsu to take hold.

Her grin didn't last long as she crossed her arms in front of her face just in time to block the flying straight punch that might have taken her head off. The woman was sent skidding back, her feet firmly planted. Confusion etched itself onto the older kunoichi's face. Was she immune to genjutsu as well? Kurenai immediately started weaving hand seals and cast yet another genjutsu.

"_Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death."_

Had the Jōnin fallen onto her back a second later, she would have been decapitated. Drawing a kunai, Kurenai clashed with her genin's sword. Thanks to her close friendship with Yugao, the ruby eyed woman knew the ins and outs of kenjutsu rather intimately. However, that was only with the basic style and Leaf-style. What her genin was doing was something the woman was wholly unfamiliar with. A lateral strike forced Kurenai to substitute herself with a log. The buzzing of kikaichu forced her to dodge left directly into the paralysing strikes of Hinata's Gentle Fist.

Kurenai fell to her knees as Shino claimed the bells attached to her hip and handed one to either of his teammates. Pride swelled the other kunoichi's chest. Despite not knowing each other, they immediately worked together, or at the very least they faked it to the point where it was impossible to tell. She was indeed, happy with the genin team she had. After instructing them to meet here again in the morning, she left to make her report. The stoic Aburame bowed slightly to his teammates and left. The shy Hyuga watched the other kunoichi, impressed by her skill. She was further impressed by the fact that she seemed quiet but was still close to her crush. Neither girl spoke, opting to allow their eyes to converse for them. Reaching a silent understanding, the Hyuga clan heiress and Arrancar went separate ways.

* * *

Contrary to the well-founded beliefs of his friends and subordinates, Naruto Uzumaki was not indestructible. It was true that his _Hierro_ was far denser than most other Espada, but even he could be defeated. Men like the Sandaime Hokage and Aizen, or women like Tsunade of the Sannin and Halibel Tier could beat him. The battle would cost their own lives, of course. He would never allow his life to be claimed without attempting to bury his opponent.

With this in mind, he just scarcely listened to Kakashi's instructions, which boiled down to claim the tiny silver bells by noon. The instruction that stuck out most was to come at him with the intent to kill. This man, the student of his father, did not know of the lives he had taken. Men and women, Shinigami and Arrancar alike had been felled by his blade. In fact, he had once wounded Gin Ichimaru, which was perhaps why the wily bastard had ended his second life.

"Begin."

Two of the three genin vanished, each hiding in varying parts of the training ground. Sakura hid beneath the dense foliage that grew easily from the ground underneath the trees, perhaps waiting to spring a trap on their seemingly unaware sensei in order to finally garner the attention of her crush. Sasuke hid amongst the canopy of the trees, carefully taking in every detail of the man that stood out in the open, reading his small orange book.

Naruto, meanwhile, stood before Kakashi Hatake. '_Come at me with the intent to kill, or you will fail.' _The older man did not know of the many lives he had claimed during his time in Hueco Mundo, he did not know of the dozens of hundreds of men and women, human and Arrancar, that were felled by his blade. It was the very blade he drew, the sword that held the power of his two souls. His Zanpakutō took the shape of a daito with a black blade that had crimson veins running throughout the length, the guard taking the shape of the Uzumaki spiral.

'_He didn't go and hide?' _Kakashi thought, before saying in a lazy tone. "You know, compared to the others, you're kind of...weird."

Naruto turned his body ever so slightly while extending his right arm, the blade of his Zanpakutō upright. His stance was reminiscent of Ulquiorra Cifer. "If I cared about your opinion, you would know."

Kakashi wouldn't admit that the comment stung just a little. "Well then, let's begin with the three lessons of a shinobi. Lesson One: Taijutsu."

Naruto made no move. There were several ways that he could go about this. The first of which was using the spells he learned from the blood of the Shinigami. The only four spells that he knew were unfortunately or depending on whom was asking, fortunately, were spells whose purpose were rendering his opponents unconscious. The second way was pure kenjutsu. The third was to use only the two Zanpakutō abilities he had 'borrowed' from Tosen, taken from the blood he managed to claim during a bitter scuffle. The fourth… well that involved reporting the death of one of the Old Man's Jōnin. He didn't feel like putting his 'Ji-chan' through that or the damnable paperwork.

He could feel eyes on him; four from the far side of the training ground, two that were relatively closer. Those eyes didn't matter for now, however. Naruto and Kakashi remained staring at each other until the Espada closed his eyes and whispered something that Kakashi could just barely hear.

"_Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō." _Naruto felt the black blade vibrate momentarily as he moved it in a semi circle, which left behind a trail of black that solidified into the same shape of the original.

The blades launched, raining down on Kakashi. Thankfully, Kakashi substituted with a log that tore the substitution to shreds. Black blades were planted in the ground. Naruto was half-glad, half-annoyed that Kakashi had actually responded the way Naruto expected him to. He sensed his sensei behind him, the older man crouched as he poised for an attack.

"_Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death." _The man's hands were tightly clasped resembling the tiger hand seal, sandwiching his book in between either hand, and he thrust his hands forward without warning.

Naruto vanished, leaving nothing in his wake as he materialized above Kakashi, his body completely vertical. His left hand clenched into a fist that glowed brightly with crimson energy. With his left fist extended towards the older man, they traded glances; Kakashi's shock to Naruto's boredom. "_Bala."_

An explosion slightly rocked Training Ground Seven. Dust was kicked up in a thin veil that hid both men from view of the others. Sakura was shocked, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Sasuke began lusting after the power that the idiot tomato seemed to wield. At first, his eyes were on the sword but the energy that shrouded his hand had also arrested his attention.

The dust cleared and neither shinobi was seen. Somewhere within the thicket of trees, the snap of a twig could be heard. There was a silent curse as a rain of kunai and shuriken fell upon the creator of the noise. Wire string was narrowly avoided as Kakashi moved easily through the hail of projectiles, deflecting the ones that came too close with his own kunai. Sakura's initial trap failed, and as she turned around in disappointment, she found herself looking up at the Jōnin.

"Lesson Two: Genjutsu." said the man, his eyes not even shaken from everything that had occured. "_Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."_

Sakura's viridescent eyes glazed over before she released a bloodcurdling scream. After a moment, she lost consciousness. Kakashi sweat dropped; it was a basic D-rank genjutsu that even a genin should have been able to break out of. The man turned around in time to dodge three shuriken. Sasuke Uchiha stood before him.

"Ah, following Naruto's example, I see." Kakashi innocently remarked.

Sasuke scowled, his lust for the power momentarily forgotten. "I'm leagues above that idiot."

Immediately, the Uchiha heir moved to engage the man in a taijutsu bout. Each strike was blocked and retaliated, slapped aside and returned. The genin was indeed skilled for his age, and for a moment, the Jōnin was briefly reminded of a mixture of his younger self and his former teammate Obito. It was strange, the two shared a defined taijutsu style though he possessed the younger Kakashi's crisp movements. He was fluid, each change in stance easily done. Still though, the man had decades more experience.

Naruto appeared between them and drove his elbow powerfully into his solar plexus. The oxygen in the older man's lungs rushed out in a rush as he temporarily left the ground. The redhead held back, way back. The thirteen year old Espada felt a foot plant itself onto his shoulder as his vengeful teammate somersaulted slightly above the Jōnin as he ran through the hand seals to one of his clan's signature jutsu.

"_Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."_ The black haired genin loosed a jet of flame that engulfed the man and the teammate that he used as a springboard.

When he landed, the technique ebbed and to his irritation, neither shinobi was there. Instead, there was a large patch of scorched grass.

* * *

Loly, Menoly, and Cirucci were watching the action from afar. Funnily enough, Naruto had looked to them when they'd first arrived. With their enhanced eyesight, they could see the slight twitch of the right corner of his mouth; he was entertained to see them. Still, Loly was trembling as she glared daggers at that damn Uchiha that dared to use her precious master as a stepping stool. Menoly herself was shaking, her hand easing towards the hilt of her Zanpakutō. The purple haired woman stopped her.

"Do not interfere, or Naruto-sama would be highly upset." the older woman whispered.

An unfamiliar voice joined them. "Why do you call him Naruto-sama?"

Loly and Menoly aimed their palms at the owner of the new voice, gathering the energy for their respective _Cero_. Cirucci felt her agitation grow in spades as the voice of one of her 'friends' grated against her eardrums. Her fellow 'Ice Queen of Konoha' and the sole snake summoner of the village held her hands up in mock surrender. Anko Mitarashi, a woman almost as provocatively dressed as Loly, held her usual shit-eating grin. The purple haired women eyed each other. Cirucci lowered her comrades' hands, never taking her glare off of her 'friend'.

"What do you want, Anko?" she snarled.

The other woman's grin only widened to a smile, as though confident that she could easily incapacite the other purple haired woman if it came down to conflict. "I was curious; you're either very angry, or completely stoic. I just had to know what made you squeal like an excited pre-genin Academy girl."

Cirucci felt the need to wipe that damn smug grin off the Tokubetsu's face, but stayed her hand. Naruto-sama still considered this place his home, its denizens his people. If he found out that one of the three of them had a part of hospitalizing one of the citizens that hadn't attacked any of them directly, he would have been highly disappointed. That lone fact made Cirucci sneer.

"So what do you call him Naruto-sama?"

There was a sudden presence. "What are you doing here?"

Anko turned with her kunai drawn as though ready to strike, only to find it slapped from her hand by the thirteen year old redhead. His cold eyes made her quicken. The three other women had fallen to one knee as they bowed in a deep respect and reverence. When the sadistic kunoichi turned to her fellow female shinobi, she frowned before turning back to the other village pariah. Before she could say anything, however, the tip of the black bladed daito was pressed to the tip of her throat. The dango scented Tokubetsu Jōnin glared at him, inwardly flinching at the icy look on his stoic mask of a face.

"Forgive us, Naruto-sama." spoke Cirucci in a quiet tone. "We merely wished to watch you during your test."

The faintest of smiles curled the right corner of Naruto's mouth before his eyes went back to Anko. She was beautiful, lethal. In a way, she reminded him of Halibel Tier. His initial crush on Sakura died instantly when he first saw the stoic, dark-skinned blonde in action. From that moment on, he wanted her but didn't act on it.

"Very well," he said with the faintest ghost of a smile curling the right corner of his mouth.

* * *

Sasuke was very confused about what was going on. At first he was trying to find Kakashi and the baka-tomato, but the next second he was buried to his chin in the ground. He didn't even bother struggling. After a few moments, Sakura showed up and looked him in his dark eyes. The pinkette took a few seconds, blinking as though her mind couldn't quite process what it was she was seeing. Sasuke blinked. He opened his mouth to ask for help, but his words were cut off by her shrill scream as she sank back into the arms of unconsciousness. He blinked twice and rolled his eyes.

'_How are you a kunoichi?' _he questioned internally.

Time was drawing to a close. Kakashi leaned up against a tree and opened his book as he took a moment to reflect on the direction the test had taken. In terms of skill, Naruto showed just enough to get away from him and then to get him in a position where he was relatively useless against Sasuke's attack. He showed a speed that was near impossible and two devastating jutsu; if they could even be called jutsu. There wasn't much kenjutsu shown, but he supposed there would be a time where it could be tested. Sasuke showed skill in taijutsu and in ninjutsu, even showing that despite a disruption in the flow of battle, he could use it to change the tide in his favor. Sakura showed decent stealth and trap making skill, but they were lackluster at best. He would have to help her hone these abilities to the fullest, that and her genjutsu resistance.

A black spike pierced his precious novel in its center, narrowly missing his thumb as it pinned the ero-novel to ground. An unfamiliar rage filled the depths of Kakashi's soul and boiled slowly over the edge. He turned to find the source, but not before he noticed a small fireball engulf his precious volume. Standing against him, seemingly fearless in the face of his indignant rage, were the genin of Team Seven. Naruto stood on the underside of the branch that Sakura sat on, while Sasuke leaned against the tree with his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't focused on the fact that the three had somehow managed to come together, to temporarily put aside their difference to unite under a common goal.

"Y-You brats," Kakashi stammered, still reeling from the loss of the newest volume of the Icha Icha Paradise series. "M-My book."

"_Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō." _Once again a wave of black blades rained down on the now depressed and heartbroken man.

He dodged with purpose, only to be kited by the hail of kunai that he wasn't given the time to deflect. He had to admit; Sakura had some damn good aim. When he made it back far enough the attack stopped. But the redhead and pinkette were gone.

"_Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."_

Kakashi barely managed to avoid the volley of fireballs, moving in front of a tree. The timer should ring any second. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't at that particular second as he was forced to duck underneath a single kunai that landed in the tree with a thunk. When he looked up, he looked into the frosty eyes of the Espada. He only drew his sword a fraction before whispering something to the older man.

"_Cry,_ _Zorro Carmesí" _a loud, piercing sound invaded Kakashi's sense of hearing and after a few seconds, he was rendered unconscious.

When the man woke up, he was tied to the trunk of a tree with some rather thick rope as Team Seven sat and ate their lunch in relative silence. Relative as Sakura was in the middle of bombarding Sasuke with questions that he would merely grunt in response to while Naruto ignored the both of them, instead listening to three other kunoichi regale him with tales of their own test and past missions. He recognized the oldest woman as Cirucci Sanderwicci, a fellow Jōnin who was actually really close to being promoted to the rank of Jōnin Commander. When he cleared his throat and got the attention of his genin, he begrudgingly congratulated them on a job well done. With the demise of his precious novel, he was too distraught to keep up with them, the clever little bastards. Eventually, they untied the man before going their separate way; Naruto with the three kunoichi, Sasuke to his clan's compound, and Sakura to her own home, albeit as dejected as Kakashi.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Who the fuck do you think you are?"_

_Naruto Uzumaki raised an uninterested eyebrow, his gaze questing as he stared at Anko Mitarashi. The Espada didn't answer the sweet-smelling kunoichi, nor did he plan to. Was it rude? Absolutely. Then again, she was cutting into the precious training time he scheduled with his fellow Arrancar. While his girls were plenty powerful, they could get stronger and as their 'master', it was his duty to help them ascend into greatness. He was still uncomfortable being called their master, but they were going to continue doing it, so he just decided to go with it._

"_You should watch who you're talking to with that tone, Anko-san." Cirucci warned._

_Anko ignored her fellow purple haired kunoichi, opting instead to glared evilly at the boy. It was clear that Naruto was unfazed by the woman's look. It was clear to him that she hadn't taken too kindly to being so easily subdued the day before, but he was in the middle of something and his overabundance of trust was what led him to Hueco Mundo in the first place. Cirucci started forward. Moving to either flank, Menoly and Loly reached for their Zanpakutō. There was a single pulse of Spiritual Pressure that made all four kunoichi freeze._

"_That's enough." said Naruto coolly as he turned his back on the Tokubetsu Jōnin; enough time had already gotten away from them. "Loly, Menoly, Cirucci. Come."_

_Anko began seething at the arrogant smirk that lifted the corners of Cirucci's mouth as she turned to follow the jinchuriki. She was already pissed at the fact that the red haired genin dispatched her so easily, now he was brushing her off? That was more than enough to send her over the edge. Blitzing past the other kunoichi in a little less than a blur of motion, she swung a poison laced kunai at the cocky brat's face. _

_Orochimaru's former student witnessed her blade make contact. His face had no cut, there wasn't even a scratch. In fact, the only thing that made it obvious that her attack landed, aside from the recoil she felt, were the literal sparks that flew from the point of contact, paired with the sound of metal scrapping metal. Her eyes widened as the redhead turned his cold gaze to her, showing that he was highly unamused. His hand was like lightning as he reached out to grab her throat and she couldn't react fast enough as he slammed her into the ground. Oxygen left her lungs in a hurry, leaving her gasping for air that refused to come due to the tight grip the redhead had on her throat. His face gave no cues of physical exertion, as if cutting off her oxygen was nothing but a breeze to him._

"_Next time," Naruto's slitted eyes began glowing with barely concealed rage despite how even and controlled his voice was. "I will tear your head from your neck with my bare hands. Regardless of who you are. Do you understand?"_

_Her lungs screaming, the woman fought to nod as darkness began caressing the edges of her vision. Naruto released his grip as the downed woman started greedily gulping down lungfuls of oxygen. He, Loly, and Menoly walked deeper into the Forest of Death to catch up on the time that was so rudely interrupted. Cirucci stayed back and knelt beside her 'friend'._

"_You're lucky you have more in common with him than you think."the Numeros said, her voice gentle. "If you weren't hated like he was, he would have most likely seriously hurt you. Precious person or not."_

_Her Naruto-sama was a kind and highly intelligent man, despite being a thirteen year old boy, but he was ruthless when he or the three of them were attacked. It reminded her of her last day in Hueco Mundo. Unaware of the Arrancar that was following her, she became aware of him just in time to catch the severed head of the blonde Numeros that was going to strike her down for her betrayal. He was highly protective of Loly, Menoly, and herself. _

"_To answer your question," continued the woman, her eyes filled to the brim with love and total admiration. "I call him 'Naruto-sama' because he is my master; he gave me a new life, a home, and is helping me grow stronger. Perhaps if you apologize, you can receive the same."_

_With her piece said, Cirucci left Anko with her thoughts._

* * *

One month passed since that altercation and Anko Mitarashi was still haunted by how easy it was for that damn brat to take her down. All it took was one quick flick of his wrist, and the Ice Queens of Konoha would have been down a member. That single fact didn't sit well with her. She was a tokubetsu jōnin, an elite and highly skilled kunoichi and the former student of Orochimaru of the Sannin. As such, the dango-loving woman was by no means easy to take down. Then there was the fact that her kunai created sparks when it collided with his face. The screech of metal on metal was enough to give her pause. It didn't matter that he was rendered comatose; what mattered was the simple fact that this brat was capable of not only beating her, but apparently Kakashi as well.

The sole snake summoner of Konoha did her research during her month of self-exile. She was more than aware of his jinchuriki status, but she needed to know everything about him. If not to take him down, then perhaps so that she didn't fall into the same trap she did with Orochimaru. Her friend's words of a new life had given the woman pause, and for good reason. He was thirteen and the single most hated person in the village, even more so than her. Anko trusted Cirucci, albeit to a lesser degree than she did Kurenai. So if that woman said the brat gave her a new life, coupled with the ease he took her down, then he did. Somehow. The logic was a non-factor, but when a single person can take out an army of one thousand in a literal tenth of a second, logic ceased being able to claim its hold on the foundations of reality.

Regardless, the notes that were hidden throughout the Hokage's office regarding the target of this slight obsession were vast, more often than not ruminations on the efficacy of raising a boy in such a way. Some were reflections, observations and insights into the boy's quirky behaviors prior to his coma, and a few observations with a doctor's signature for while he was under. There were several documents, acting more as a means of reflection, that consisted of the lines '_Kushina would kill me,'_ or '_Minato would be highly disappointed.'_ These sentences made Anko dig deeper still, until she found the record of Naruto's birth, on which two names stood out with crystal clarity.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

Anko Mitarashi was beyond incredulous. The boy the civilians beat comatose, the boy that was outcast for something beyond his control, the boy who could supposedly give her this new life was the son of the man that beat the Kyuubi and sealed it into him. The son of the Yondaime Hokage. If that was some kind of irony, Anko didn't know what was. And it was for this reason that she was headed toward the chakra signatures of Loly, Menoly, and Cirucci. Wherever those three were, Naruto would surely be there.

* * *

"Again." there was a finality in their master's single command, such power in that single word that it made their pulse quicken and their panties just a bit moist.

Shameless though it was, it was the way of the Arrancar to be drawn to power. It was why the entirety of Los Noches, Hueco Mundo followed Aizen. It was why the three Numeros changed alliances towards the inevitable climax of their Hueco Mundo's invasion and decided to follow this young man into the grave. They craved power for power's sake; nothing more, nothing less. Of course, in the cases of Menoly Mallia, Loly Aivirrne, and Cirucci Sanderwicci, there was also the intense attraction to their master that made it even easier to follow him.

Loly was the first to jump back into the action, slashing at Naruto in a series of strikes that were as deliberate as they were wild. Naruto dodged each strike, and jumped over her when she tried to perform a leg sweep. Menoly was instantly beside him, he fist cocked back and taut with power. She loosed a vicious left straight, but Naruto leaned back just enough that her fist missed his nose by mere centimeters. Loly was behind him at once, grabbing him in a headlock. Before she could transition into another hold, Naruto slipped out of it, grabbed her around the waist and planted her on her face. Another straight, this time from the right, tried to connect with his face. He grabbed Menoly's arm and quickly swept the blonde in a fireman's carry, before slamming her on her back.

There was no actual power in his slams, but it was enough to knock the oxygen from their lungs. Instinct whispered into his ear and he held out his right hand behind him. Within seconds, a flying disk of death collided with his hand. There was a slight spike of some kind of a feeling that had become foreign to him in the palm of his hand. An uppercut made his teeth click and lifted him from the ground. He couldn't get any farther than a couple of feet before Menoly grabbed him by the ankle and threw him roughly to the ground. Loly was instantly driving her knee into his chest, and if she did this to any shinobi, they would most certainly die. To Naruto, it was uncomfortable and there was the fact that there was that same pang of feeling that he felt from Menoly's attack and Cirucci's Zanpakuto. Pride tightened his chest, or perhaps it was the small fact that Loly still had her knee buried in him.

Easily, he lifted her off and stood. Dusting off the white jacket that all Arrancar wore, he looked at his right hand and noticed the slightest impression of a red mark. Pain. Had he become so accustomed to the sensation of pain that it barely registered as little more than a pang of something so fathomless? Had his denser-than-average _Hierro_ made it so that he couldn't feel pain anymore? No, that wasn't the case. He hadn't felt anything when he went toe-to-toe with Tosen, nor did he feel anything when Gin cut him down. He was desensitized to the sensation. Did the fact that he now felt the dying vestiges of pain mean that he was getting weaker or that his friends were getting stronger? It wasn't mutually exclusive, so he chose to believe that they were growing stronger.

"Excellent work today," Naruto gave them the closest thing to a smile he could manage. "I'm very proud of your progress. Now if I'm not mistaken, we all have busy schedules today."

A shadow dropped from the canopy of trees above and landed in front of the redhead. He had sensed her enter the Forest of Death, but dismissed it. She wasn't important at the moment. She rose slowly and stared into his eyes, chocolate brown to radiant scarlet. No one moved, save Loly who reached for her Zanpakuto. The attractive young woman moved closer to the Espada. Loly and Menoly blocked her approach, their eyes cold. Anko was hesitant, though only for a brief moment.

"Cirucci-chan said you gave her a new life." Anko said.

Naruto merely gazed at her, waiting for her to get to the point. Besides, he wouldn't say he gave her new life, per se, just a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance in his humble opinion. Except Nnoitra; he was a prick. And Szayelaporro, arrogant douche that he was. And Gin because 'fuck that guy', in Loly's own words. And...okay, he believed almost everyone deserves a second chance. Still, the fact remains that without his interference and despite the Quincy only sealing her spiritual powers, Cirucci was going to die.

"Would you be able to get this fucking mark off of me?" Anko pulled back her overcoat and shirt a bit to show the telltale tomoe tattooed on her shoulder. Even from here, Naruto could feel the sinister power it held, though whoever sealed it last did a decent job.

Loly hissed in anger. "First you attack him, now you expect a favor?"

Anko ignored her, and that was the quickest way to piss Loly off. Naruto held a hand up, stopping the girl before she could attack the other purple haired female. Reluctantly, the ravenette stayed her hand, though she grumbled in clear agitation.

"Perhaps I can." Naruto said, his eyes blazing with curiosity. "But why should I, Tokujō?"

Anko considered it for a moment. Why should he? Without a doubt, the removal of the Cursed Seal of Heaven would count as her second life; freedom from the one who's betrayal hurt the most, freedom from the pain, freedom from the hatred. Nevermind the dispassionate redhead, but would Anko herself be willing to be freed from one cage just to crawl into another? The simple answer? Yes. Anko would be willing to do anything, kill anyone just to get this fucking mark off of her.

"Because I can be useful." she said with a straight face. "In some ways, as well as others."

The double meaning wasn't lost on the Arrancar. The trio of females actually drew their weapons, ready to cut the woman down for daring to try to offer herself to their master as though he only cared about one thing. If that were the case, there would be very little respect for him as a person; powerful or not. Naruto didn't stop them this time. Instead, he merely spoke.

"Attractive, though you are, you don't appeal to me in that way."

Well that was a shot to the ego, nevermind the mild relief that flooded her system. "Then what would you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything?" he countered. "I only asked why I should relieve you of your burden."

"If you have to ask, Naruto-sama, then perhaps you shouldn't." Menoly offered, her gaze never leaving the snake summoner. "Precious person or not."

Naruto seemed to ponder this for a moment before drawing his daito. Anko didn't move, but she was ready to make a run for it. If steel didn't work, then she had very little hope for jutsu or anything else.

Instead, Naruto sliced his palm and allowed a single drop of blood to fall into the grass. Nothing happened. After a moment, the female Numeros vanished, hiding amongst the trees in an effort to avoid whatever Naruto had just done. A single vermillion fox with nine tails rose from the drop of blood, looking as though it were bathed in the essence of life. Fear choked Anko. Was he really about to kill her because she couldn't answer a question? Was this retribution for her unnecessary attack, one month previous? Was releasing the Kyuubi really that easy?

"_Zorro Carmesí: Caza de Sangre." _the fox yipped cutely, before howling like a demonic wolf. "Go."

The sanguine fox rushed her. Anko managed to get off a single attack in the form of her Hidden Snake Hands technique, but it was pointless. The fox, easily as tall as her, had pounced on her and sank its teeth into the curse mark. She screamed as liquid agony pounded through her veins and held her spinal in a death grip. She fell when the fox released her and pounced back into Naruto's freshly cut palm, a droplet of blood once more. Anko Mitarashi glared murderously at the young Espada. When she got up she was going to kill him, favorite of the Sandaime or not.

He glowed red for the briefest of seconds before the cursed seal of heaven appeared on the back of the stark white gloves he wore on his hands. There was the sound of locks clicking before there was a final snap. An audible crack rang out through the Forest of Death. Naruto lay the blade of his Zanpakuto against the inside of his wrist and cut. Bleeding profusely, he walked easily to stand in front of Anko with his arm outstretched.

"Drink," he commanded, his tone leaving little room for discussion.

She looked at the boy as though he were mad. Part of her wanted to curse him for attacking her. Another part, the most dominant part of her, was curious enough to see how this played out. Hesitantly and full of revulsion, she put her lips to the warm liquid and drank. At least until there was a feeling that transcended pain pulsing throughout her body. He stepped back, as she cried out. Anko curled into the fetal position, retching as though her body was trying to purge itself of something. Finally, something found purchase as hundreds of thousands of white snakes were expelled from her throat. Stark clarity was written on her face alongside the clear look that said '_what the actual fuck?'_ The collection of serpents hissed irritably at the red haired Espada, who raised an unamused brow. The snakes coalesced into a single great serpent with a man's face messy hair. The creature, repulsive though it was, slithered quickly at Naruto with the intent of lashing out. The Espada merely pointed at it with his forefinger, allowing the energy to gather into a crimson orb at his finger tip.

"_Cero,"_ the orb was fired as a blast of spiritual energy, vaporizing the repugnant creature as well as some of the trees behind it. Naught was left but ashes.

Anko lay there, twitching spasmodically, equally amazed and repulsed by what she saw. And at that moment, she wanted to learn what she could from the boy. A ridiculous notion, when one truly thought about it, but it had some merit. The dango-loving Tokujō had never seen a jutsu like that.

"Cirucci-chan," Naruto looked to the other purple haired woman. "Take Anko home. Loly, Menoly, and I have team meetings to attend."

* * *

"Team Seven reporting another successful mission." drawled Kakashi as Naruto handed over the so-called 'demon cat'.

His _Hierro_ made her scratched ineffective, making her attacks little more than caresses. As Hiruzen started listing off more D-Ranked missions, Naruto zoned out and allowed his mind to wander. Anko regurgitated a snake whose face was more human than serpent. If that was actually a portion of Orochimaru, as the basis of the Cursed Seal of Heaven suggested, then he was a foe worthy to witness his Resurrección. Not that he was arrogant, far from it. But like Ulquiorra, the redhead had a _Segunda Etapa_ and like Yammy, his number changed. No one he has faced ever survived the full ressurection of the Crimson Fox of Konoha. On the other hand, why exactly had he decided to help Anko? Was it because she was a kindred spirit, or perhaps because she knew the cost of loneliness? When it came to the two village pariah, the answers were one in the same; he helped her because she was a kindred spirit who was intimate with the cost of loneliness.

"Do you think they're ready for a C-Ranked mission, Kakashi?" asked the Sandaime.

Kakashi nodded rather lazily before he drawled, "Yes, Sandaime-sama. Besides, I believe it will be a good experience for them."

Naruto's brow furrowed; what the hell did he miss? Hiruzen seemed to ponder this for a moment before nodding towards Iruka, who walked to the door and brought in a man that smelled like sake. Naruto supposed it was because of the bottle in his hands, but hey, what did he know? The man took a deep swig of his sake before sneering at Team Seven.

"I asked for shinobi and you give me brats?" asked the drunkard. "What are they gonna do; cry at the first sign of danger?"

Naruto was unamused. "You were saying?"

Tazuna sobered instantly at the feeling of bone cold steel caressing his throat. No one saw the redhead move. He began to tremble in fear. Before any of the higher ranking adults could come to the poor man's rescue, Naruto was already standing in his original place, looking as though he hadn't moved in the first place. Hiruzen looked rather amused. Kakashi sighed inwardly at the now undetermined fate of the poor man.

Over the past month, the team got to know each other better. Not really; the flawless teamwork that was utilized to come out victorious during the bell test was gone. Sakura paid endless attention to Sasuke, who in turn ignored her in favor of trying to gain a more intensive training regimen from Kakashi, while Naruto ignored them both. There was one incident last week where the sole female of Team Seven made the mistake of calling Naruto a 'baka tomato'. The poor girl was ill prepared to deal with the rain of black spikes that outlined her body with surgical precision. It was on that day the team learned a valuable lesson regarding their dispassionate redhead: never call Naruto a 'tomato'.

While the Hiruzen explained the parameters of the mission, Naruto wondered what his girls were up to. Cirucci was a jonin, and a damn good one. To his knowledge, she was patrolling with two other jonin. Loly and Menoly were genin like him, each more than likely training with their teams… or in Loly's case, trying not to suffocate her fellow kunoichi.

Anko, though he wasn't entirely sure if she would ever count as 'one of his girls', should be resting. After all, emptying her body of the rather impressive number of snakes would have taken a monumental amount of energy. They were dismissed and instructed to meet at the village gates within the hour. Naruto left to prepare for his trip to the Land of Wave, and briefly wondered if he would even have to draw his sword for this mission.


	4. Chapter 4

The trip to the Land of Wave started out the way Naruto expected; Sakura was eerily quiet, Sasuke kept an eye out for an opponent to test his skills on, Kakashi kept his nose in his book, and Tazuna kept his gaze forward as he continued to drink. Naruto was grateful for the silence, but he was praying that something would happen soon. He wanted to kill something, no… that was not wholly accurate. He _needed_ to kill something. While Naruto didn't necessarily take pleasure in the act of snuffing out the flames of someone's life, as the other Arrancar and many of the Espada did, it was necessary to do so in order to keep his bloodlust under control.

'_I should have killed Mizuki myself,'_ He lamented, his face twisting into a grimace of poorly hidden irritation. '_But Loly has been on edge for the longest.'_

"_Such is the life of one who leads." _A feminine voice he hadn't heard since his return from Hueco Mundo noted sagely. "_You're responsible for those under you, and that now includes that serpentess, Anko."_

Naruto nodded. When they reached a point that they could stop, he resolved himself to use a Garganta in order to send a blood clone over to Anko. From what Cirucci-chan reported, she was still asleep. Not that he blamed her; the Cursed Seal of Heaven, if removed by someone that wasn't the creator, could kill the one who was marked. It was only because of his mastery over blood that he was able to allow her to live after removing the foul seal. Oddly enough, it held a great portion of the Sannin's chakra as well as a part of his very consciousness, which explains why the multiple serpents expelled from the older woman's body coalesced into a singular being. It was a good thing Naruto vaporized it. With a sigh, he turned his gaze back to the trail.

The first thing to arrest his attention was a puddle off to the left, roughly four meters away from the group. It was bizarre, Naruto thought, as it hadn't rained in some time. Which meant that there was a chance of it being a trap. He briefly entertained the notion of drawing his Zanpakutō. It wouldn't be necessary. After a rather quick usage of the _Pesquisa _technique, he discerned that the two beings that were hiding in the puddle were of the chunin rank; nothing that would warrant the usage of his Zanpakutō. He heaved another sigh. At this rate, he would have to go out of his way to find someone that was capable of getting his blood up.

Casting a sidelong glance to his comrades and client, he noted that the other genin had not noticed the puddle. Tazuna was rather unaware at the moment, and Kakashi cast an uninterested gaze at the hiding place. As they walked past, nothing happened. It was coming. A few more steps and…

Just as he thought, there was the sound of water being displaced, and the source of it were two men, each with a clawed metal gauntlet on their right and left arms respectively. Each wore the hitai-ate of Kirigakure with a single horn on it, while dark grey gas-masks masqueraded the lower half of their respective faces. One charged while the other somersaulted over Kakashi. Within mere seconds, the Konoha jonin was trapped in what looked to be shuriken-chains that came from the gauntlets. Everyone turned in surprise, though Sasuke admittedly hid it rather well.

"_Bala."_

There was a sudden explosion of gore which ended in blood raining onto the two corpses. All eyes went to the redhead of Team Seven. His right hand was out of his pocket and balled into a fist that was aimed at Kakashi. A scarlet ring of what could only be described as electricity was still clinging to the air around his fist, a look of disinterest in his eyes.

Sakura looked horrified, while Sasuke's eyes darkened with lust. Kakashi's lone eye went wide, and for the first time in a long time he thanked Kami-sama above for the fact that he chose not to underestimate the technique his student used during the bell test. Tazuna looked as though he would be sick. The dispassionate redhead easily slid his hand back into his pocket and turned his back on the scene, his bloodlust barely even temporarily sated. Turning his crimson gaze to the sky, the Crimson Fox of Konoha continued to walk, not even remotely caring that he was the only one that decided to move.

* * *

Cirucci made her way into Naruto-sama's apartment with his freshly washed linens in hand and the intent on perhaps shaming herself now that she could get away with it. Wearing not but an apron, she sauntered easily to her master's bedroom and started the process of making his bed. He was not a sloppy man, but sometimes forgot that his sheets required washing as much as his clothes did. First the fitted sheet, then the blanket. She never understood while the Gemelo Primero Espada didn't use the secondary sheet, but far be it from her to question his wisdom.

After making sure the blanket was free from wrinkles and setting his freshly laundered pillow in the matching pillowcase, she took a deep breath to fully enjoy the lavender scent of the washing liquid and the rather subtle jasmine scent that was all her master's. It was everywhere in his bedroom and that only made it that much sweeter. Holding her composure for a few minutes more, she let out a satisfied exhale.

Leaping into the air, the soon-to-be Jōnin Commander flopped onto her master's bed and started happily rolling back and forth while cradling his pillow to her nose, breathing in the scent as though it were necessary for her to survive. Her chants of '_Naruto-sama's pillow!'_ could easily be heard from a mile away despite being muffled by the pillow, but none seemed to bother listening. After a few moments, she regained her composure before fixing up the bed again, then left to get the rest of his laundry. She could count the number of times he insisted she not worry herself with his laundry, but she ignored him every single time. Despite personally despising the feeling, it gave her the feeling of being her master's housewife. While she knew that wasn't what he wanted, as he made it abundantly clear that his ideal mate would be able to keep up with him on the battlefield, she still rather enjoyed the farce of domesticity while she had the time. A guilty pleasure to be sure, but it was all hers.

When she returned to his bedroom with the basket of neatly folded clothing and laid out white jackets and hakama, she proceeded to put away the clothes, purposefully leaving aside a single jacket that still held the lingering scent of jasmine. Once her task was complete, she picked up the lone jacket and found herself rolling around on the bed once more, enjoying the moment. Her chant changed, becoming '_Naruto-sama's jacket!' _as she continued to roll around on the bed. The feeling of another presence made her freeze.

"Cirucci-chan," the voice that made her heart race caressed her sense of hearing, though it sounded tired. "What are you doing?"

Instantly, the older woman was sitting on her knees, poking her forefingers together like a shy pre-genin girl. An attractive blush colored her fair cheeks, the purple haired Arrancar refusing to meet her master's gaze. It would've been one thing if Loly or Menoly caught her. Her luck was not on her side, however, since it was the owner of this particular apartment.

"Were you having fun?" he asked, his brow raised in slight amusement.

The woman nodded.

The phantom of a grin made his uninterested features seem kinder. "Then please, proceed."

Her eyes widened and a bright smile made her extremely attractive in Naruto's eyes. He gave a chuckle as she giggled and continued to roll around in his bed. "Please watch me embarrass myself more, Naruto-sama!"

He nodded, a full blown half-smile gracing her features. "As you wish,"

Upon seeing an actual smile on his glorious face, she couldn't help but want to cry as she made a noise of commingled excitement and joy, while enjoying her shameless act beneath the gaze of her master.

* * *

Anko bolted upright in her bed, her chest heaving as she drank in great lungfuls of air. She couldn't believe what she just dreamt about. Or was it a memory? Was there a way to tell the difference between a dream and a memory?

Regardless, the events that played out during her dream were far too realistic to be just that. The first thing worth pondering was the fact that Orochimaru didn't abandon her; _she_ abandoned _him_. This was due to the fact that she was a willing recipient of the prototype of his _Cursed Seal of Heaven_, one of ten, and she was the only one that survived the procedure. She was unwilling to use it, from what she could remember and wanted a way out. This was what prompted the man she trusted above all others to wipe her memories and leave. The rest of the information her brain tried to sort through was less than a burst of pictures and sounds. For every sound, there was a memory she viewed like a movie, but they seldom made sense.

Screams of agony, the rattling of bars, and the clinking of chains. These sounds were paired with the visions of her body drenched in blood as she held a kunai that was crimson with another's blood, the feeling of a sick smile on her lips.

There was a movement out of the corner of her eye and she drew a kunai, only to watch as it was slapped from her hands and embedded forcefully into the wall behind her. Anko turned her confused gaze to the man that seemed to have all of the answers to her questions, the redhead that was sitting beside her bed with a glass of water in his hand. At the sight of it, she fully realized that her mouth was drier than the deserts of Sunagakure. She took it when she offered it, and drained it in a matter of seconds. His brow quirked with mirth as he left the room to fetch something else.

Not even a moment passed before something mouth watering caressed her olfactory sense. Her young master returned to the bedroom with a tray of still hot food; omu-rice with succulent cutlets of pork, a bowl of sweet bean soup, and a tray of dango had her drooling, her stomach giving its own loud cheer. He gave her a humorless chuckle before setting the tray before her. She ate with gusto, savoring each and every bit of the tasty morsels before her. If she could, she would marry the redhead that watched her with a look of satisfaction.

The being that Anko decided to affectionately refer to as her 'Gaki-sama' sipped his own water, seemingly content with the world at the moment. His face was bare of any and all emotion, as though he were one of those Foundation fuckers that she spotted watching the Sandaime every now and again. While she was sure that her Kage was aware of them, it didn't put her at ease. Still, she knew he possessed emotions, or at the very least was very intimate with anger. She slowed her consumption of the heavenly food before her as her gaze went to the red-eyed genin to her left.

"Ne, Gaki-sama, what made you decide to help me?" she asked boldly.

Again, his brow quirked, a gesture that she was starting to believe meant he was amused. "Gaki-sama? That's a new one."

Anko had the good graces to blush as he continued.

"There's no need to refer to me with such an honorific. I tell the others that all the time, but that wasn't what you asked. Why did I help you?" He paused and hummed as if to ponder this, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself. "We are kindred, belike two eyes that gaze upon the other."

"I…" She knew that they were kindred long before their initial meeting, so she didn't really feel the need to continue her train of thought.

He continued as though she hadn't spoken, his eyes still on the ceiling. "I was rendered comatose; you had your memories erased. You were once a student of Orochimaru; the kyuubi is sealed within me. We are both orphans that once craved attention. You have a group of three that you would die to protect, as do I. Though I suppose my group has gained an extra member in you, nevertheless, it is as I've said. We are kindred."

She said nothing, emotion tightening her throat. Her meal forgotten, she set the tray atop her bedside table and rose. Wobbly at first, he quickly regained her balance. The Tokujo, with her unique shit-eating grin on her face, made her way from her bedroom. She returned with a kit after a moment. One thing that very few people knew about Anko was her main hobby was conducting tea ceremonies, and by Kami-sama above, this was going to be her best one yet.

"Allow me to make some tea for you, Gaki-sama." her smile brightened monumentally when he looked at her and nodded.

'_The things I do for my people.'_

* * *

Loly was done with the day.

She wanted nothing more than to strangle the life out of the blonde bitch that dared think they were even close to each other's levels. With Menoly at her side, she made her way home, or more accurately, to Naruto-sama's apartment. He had already told them of the mission he was on, but that didn't lessen the worry that either Arrancar felt. Sure, he was damn near indestructible, but there were still people strong enough to harm him. Granted, he wouldn't just let them get away with it, but the fact remained. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to Menoly. The other Fraccion was watching her with a look of understanding and friendly smile. After all the shit she personally but the dirty blonde through, she was always there at Loly's side. Even after kicking the absolute shit out of her for not going along with the plan in regards to Orihime, Menoly was there with her and at the moment, she felt like shit.

"Sorry,"

Menoly froze, her look of understanding changing from understanding to shock. "What?"

Loly grit her teeth. "I said I'm sorry. You know, for hitting and bullying you and stuff."

The blonde Arrancar couldn't help but think that her best friend was being utterly adorable, and it was all she could do to not squeal and hug her. So instead, she opted for the '_Let's piss Loly off.'_ option. Her surprise melted into a look of smug satisfaction.

"You're sorry, huh?" Menoly teased, the smug smile was surely more than enough to raise the other girl's blood pressure. "Say that again so I can write down the exact time you said it."

"Fuck off!" was Loly's very angry and sophisticated retort.

* * *

The boat ride that made up the final portion of the journey to the Land of Wave was silent, and Naruto found his irritation rising too much to be thankful for the aforementioned silence. They continued to stare at him, as though he were in the wrong for killing the Demon Brothers. Would it have been better if he killed another member of Team Seven or the client? His irritation continued mounting when he noticed the look of yearning in the dark eyes of the other male genin. Kakashi merely eyed his sensei's son with the look of something fathomless.

"Naruto?" he started in his usual lazy drawl, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "What jutsu was that?"

He gave the man a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to the now ominous sky. "It is an Uzumaki clan ability which is called _Bala_, which translates to Hollow Bullet."

Sasuke scoffed. "You belong to a clan? Doubtful."

"The Uchiha and their so-called ultimate dojutsu were assassinated in a single night by one man." Naruto spoke, his crimson eyes closed as he enlightened his teammate. "The Uzumaki were wiped out by the joint effort of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and that took several days."

Sasuke tensed visibly, and he appeared to be struggling to hold himself back from lashing out at the redhead that sat before him. Sakura prepared to open her mouth in order to come to the aid of her crush.

"Do you know any other clan abilities?" asked Kakashi, in an effort to diffuse the situation, though he couldn't ever remember Kushina doing such a technique.

He nodded. "As do Loly, Menoly, and Cirucci."

His tone declared the conversation over, so Kakashi dropped it. Roughly an hour later, the group was back on dry land and continued their slow trek into the country proper. The silence was still in place. Naruto could feel the familiar sensation of a memory tugging on his consciousness, but wondered if he was in a decent place for a stroll down memory lane. Was this memory that important for him to relive? He doubted that anyone they would run into would be strong enough to even make him feel the dying vestiges of discomfort known as pain; not that he was arrogant, but it was the truth. He also doubted the memory would make him a better Arrancar at the moment, so he just enjoyed the walk. At least, until Kakashi shouted.

"Get down!"

With the exception of the redhead, Team Seven and Tazuna hit the ground hard. When he turned his head, there was a massive blade already at his neck. The weapon was airborne, a flying guillotine that promised a smooth decapitation for the poor soul that was hit by it. Naruto merely held a hand up and caught the blade. Those on the floor were shocked, but none more so than the owner of such a magnificent blade.

It was a large broadsword, tall as a full grown human male and shaped a butcher's knife. It had two cut outs; a full circle closer to the top of the weapon, and semi-circle nearer to the handle. A fine weapon indeed, and as the young Espada inspected it, he couldn't help but develop a small measure of respect for the owner of this guillotine.

A man, tall and shirtless with the muscular build of a swordsman that wielded a great blade, landed mere feet away from the group of Konoha-Nin. Bandages were worn as a mask to hide the lower half of his face, not unlike Kakashi-sensei's cloth variant. The man's eyes danced with what looked to be excitement as he stared at Naruto, and took note of how easily he held the blade in his hand.

"I believe this is yours." the redhead said coolly. "Perhaps you dropped it."

Zabuza merely chuckled at the lad's phrasing before nodding slightly. "You could say that."

Kakashi was in front of Naruto at once, the white haired man seemingly ready to fight to protect his charges and client. It wasn't until the Demon of the Hidden Mist tore his gaze from the brat who still held his weapon as though it weighed little less than a senbon.

"Ah, Kakashi of the Sharingan." the man breathed with a smile in his voice. "This day only seems to get better and better."

* * *

With the tea ceremony concluded and the rather delicious tea tucked warmly in their bellies, master and subordinate could only enjoy the feel of companionship. Anko looked to the genin that was staring off into space. Seconds later, he pulled a scroll out of somewhere she couldn't begin to fathom and began scribbling furiously. It looked to be a detailed account of the instructions and the theory of a particular jutsu. From what she could tell from her angle, it relied on her usage of the summoning technique and was reserved for those of the snake clan. Excitement and curiosity came together within her, commingling powerfully to make a new feeling she didn't have a name for.

Once that one was finished, he rolled it up and started on another scroll. Once again, it held the theory and instructions to perform such a technique. This went on for roughly five more scrolls before he finally set down his pen and looked to her.

"Anko Mitarashi," he started, his voice as cool as usual. "We begin training at month's end, when my original returns from his C-Ranked mission. Until then, you will read and memorize the scrolls I have prepared for you. I will expect you to have memorized the required hand seals and the necessary amount of chakra. Do you understand?"

Had he been anyone else, she would have slit his throat for speaking to her thusly. "Yes, Gaki-sama."

"That's not going to get old anytime soon." he commented with a raised brow. "Do you have any questions?"

Anko seemed to ponder the question for a moment before deciding to go with the easiest of the questions running through her head. "Can I tell my friends, at least Kurenai-chan, about what you did for me?"

He didn't care. "Sure. Anything else?"

Of course there was something else; she had hundreds of questions clogging her mind. For now, however, she merely shook her head. With a nod, he left her to rest. Flicking his hand at the thin air, Anko couldn't help but gape at the literal tear in the very fabric of reality that spawned, a gaping maw of absolute darkness. Her master walked easily into the black void before it closed. It stunned her silent, something that was not an easy feat. After a moment of staring at where he once stood, she whistled appreciatively.

"He is so going to teach me how to do that." she commented to no one in particular as she gathered the group of scrolls that he wrote out for her, and began to read.

* * *

"Run!"

From his place trapped within the water prison, Kakashi tried to call out to his genin while trying to keep the water from pouring into his lungs. At this point, it was only his chakra that was keeping him from suffocating. That didn't mean he was any closer to escaping, and he was not a walking chakra battery like a certain redhead that looked bored at the current moment. Meanwhile, Sakura looked worried and Sasuke looked as though he was trying to come up with a plan.

Naruto sighed and moved forward, the water clones that stood before the Missing-Nin all moving at the same sedate pace as the younger male. Sakura was shouting warnings and insults, all while Sasuke let out a foul curse as he drew his kunai. The Espada paid them little heed and he took his right hand from his pocket.

"_Bala."_

The clones exploded in flashes of crimson as the boy continued forward. Sakura's words were halted as he watched with awe, while Sasuke suddenly found his shorts rather uncomfortable at the moment. He shifted inconspicuously as Tazuna watched with the same awe as the pinkette. It seemed as though they had forgotten about the young Uzumaki's _Hollow Bullet_.

Zabuza's eyes widened fractionally, completely thrown off by what he just witnessed. With another set of one-handed seals, four more water clones rose from the water he stood atop. Naruto merely continued to walk towards the original. Once again, he fired an orb of compressed spiritual energy. This time, Kakashi was watching with his Sharingan. The man was knocked for six when he watched the attack move directly to the center, before splitting into four attacks. The clones once again exploded, easily dispatched by the single attack. Unsure of how long his sensei could remain alive by channeling his chakra to his lungs, Naruto decided that it was for the best that he ended this farce.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." he spoke as he drew his Zanpakutō; a daito whose black blade measured roughly sixty centimeters. "Gemelo Primero Espada, the second of the two of us that hold the title of Primero Espada. Remember my name, Demon of the Hidden Mist, for it shall be the last one you hear."

Without further preamble, he was gone. Zabuza, in a move that was caused by his instincts and reflexes that were honed by hundreds of battles, swung his sword behind him. Whether it was due to luck or some other deciding factor, he bisected the boy with the black blade. Blood sprayed into the air as his body fell, only to loose a foul curse as another redhead appeared by his extended hand and swung in an upward arc. Zabuza parried the blade and decapitated him, grinning at the girl's scream. He hissed in pain, however, when the boy that was supposed to be dead cut deeply into his flank. His blood gushed from the attack, but he still held the Konoha-Nin sphere of water.

"_Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō."_ Massive black spikes rained on the former Kiri-Nin, forcing him to release his hold on the jutsu in order to dodge.

The older man was already forming hand seals, but Naruto was already in his face, in the middle of another upward slash. Zabuza substituted with a water clone that was seemingly waiting for this specific moment. The clone melted into its original element as, in Naruto's left hand, a light appeared. A glowing crimson and onyx javelin of pure energy formed.

"_Luz de la Luna."_ Naruto tossed the javelin, but Zabuza dodged at the last moment.

The technique continued to fly over the water. Within moments a massive explosion shook the very ground they stood on. The Demon of the Hidden Mist looked terrified, but in his terror was also the excitement that came with a battle to the death. Racing through his hand seals so fast that even Kakashi had to focus his Sharingan, Zabuza held his hands in a specified way.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet." The water they stood on began to churn violently as it rose and formed a massive dragon with glowing yellow eyes.

Though Naruto looked unimpressed, it was quite the opposite. "A fantastic technique."

Another Luz de la Luna formed in his hand and he tossed it without care into the creature's mouth. It exploded, the water raining down on them with the density of the coalesced chakra and spiritual energy. Zabuza was panting as yet another crimson javelin formed in the boy's empty hand. Instead of throwing it as the other man had expected, Naruto was already slashing it across the taller man's chest. A swift kick, which was followed by a sickening crunch, sent Zabuza crashing into a tree. Naruto tossed the javelin, but the man dodged despite the liquid agony flowing through his veins at the moment. Rather than explode, the energy seemed to be so condensed that it pierced through the tree before fading as opposed to destroying whatever it hit.

Two senbon struck the man in the side of his neck before a masked-nin appeared beside him and vanished. Annoyed, Naruto sheathed his Zanpakutō and turned back to his dumbstricken team and client. Two things occured to Naruto just then. Firstly, there was going to be a multitude of questions. Secondly, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.


	5. Chapter 5

Anko sat in her favorite Dango restaurant, casually sipping her green tea as she read one of the scrolls her Gaki-sama left. This one was called _Binding Snake Glare Spell_. It was an interesting jutsu that summoned rather large snakes from the user's sleeves to restrain someone. There were no hand seals, but one needed to specify which summons they wanted and have the blood sacrifice at the ready if they wanted it to be used instantly. Anko had an amicable relationship with the Ryuchi Cave serpents, so she figured this jutsu would be a piece of cake. If anything, she could just get the summoning seal tattooed on her shoulders to bypass the middle man.

The next scroll she looked at was for the jutsu called _Hidden Shadow Wild Snake Hands_. It was yet another jutsu that she could use thanks to her relationship with the snakes. Apparently, this technique summoned snakes underground that would then burst forth and attack. It seemed like an ultimately terrifying jutsu to combat if the user decided to summon some of the grander serpents. A frankly sinister smile curved Anko's lips, scaring the other patrons.

After another sip of tea, she picked up the last of the six scrolls she brought with her. It was called _Lightning Release: Snake Lightning_ and it was a justu which, after performing the hand seal, allowed the user to generate and discharge yellow lightning in the shape of a serpent. Anko cursed. Of course, there was a jutsu amongst her newest arsenal that was in the chakra nature she hadn't an affinity for. Lightning release was one of the more difficult chakra natures to learn. She would need help.

Finishing off her tea and Dango, she was about to stand and leave when she noticed that the seat beside her was occupied. Crimson ringed eyes stared at her expectantly. Kurenai sat beside her and she had been none the wiser. Had this been a mission, she would have been killed easily. Not a way she would want to go out.

"Oh. Hey Nai-chan," Anko said casually. "When did you get here?"

The genjutsu specialist raised a perfectly arched brow. "Almost ten minutes ago."

Brows furrowed in confusion, Anko frowned. "Really?"

"Really."

Anko turned to face the source of the feminine voice in front of her and came face-to-face with Cirucci Sanderwicci and Hana Inuzuka. Only Yugao appeared to be missing, but that was per usual with the violet-haired Anbu. When did she end up surrounded by the other Ice Queens? Was she that invested in the scrolls? That was a terrifying thought; for someone that wasn't a sensor-nin, it was all but impossible to sneak up on Anko, and thus far only two men have done such.

"I can't say that I've ever seen you so caught up in reading." Kurenai teased. "Even in the Academy, you were the type to ignore the books in favor of the physical part of the curriculum."

Anko sniffed as she put away her scroll. "I was given these scrolls as a gift."

"Oh yeah?" Hana challenged with an almost feral smile that showed her fangs. "From who?"

'_None of your damn business!' _was the first thought that flitted through Anko's mind, but it would only make her subject to further interrogation. "Ga- er, Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun gave them to me. Figured I'd like them since they were techniques that happened to be snake related."

"Oho!" shouted Hana. "Hear that, Kurenai-chan? Our darling Anko-chan finally refers to a man as -kun! A glorious day this is turning out to be."

Cirucci let out a derisive snort. Anko turned to glare at her. It was deftly ignored.

"Hold on," Kurenai interrupted. "You mean Genin Uzumaki Naruto?"

Anko and Cirucci turned their suddenly cold eyes to the red-eyed beauty. "That a problem, Nai-chan?"

The girlfriend of Asuma Sarutobi flinched, put off by the sudden frostiness of Anko's voice and the chill of her glare. Cirucci was unnaturally protective of the young redhead, all shinobi had known that. But Anko? To her knowledge, and Anko told Kurenai everything, she hadn't ever had any kind of contact with the genin, nevermind any kind of relationship.

"N-No, Anko."

She sighed. "Sorry, but I owe the brat a lot. He managed to get rid of _it_ and took care of me afterward."

Kurenai and Hana felt their jaws slacken. The _Cursed Seal of Heaven_ was a burden that, to their knowledge, was impossible for the illustrious Jiraiya-sama to remove. A curse that plagued all aspects of Anko's daily life. But a fresh out of the Academy genin removed what a sannin couldn't with his year of experience? That didn't make any sense.

"Anyway, I have to go. I want to try and figure out these jutsu. Later, babes."

* * *

The finite patience of the red-haired Espada was being tried, the beings he was forced to be around taking it and stretching it to the utmost. The single fact that no one had died as of yet was to be viewed as a testament to his willpower. The call of blood was there, never fading or becoming a less tempting siren's call. He _needed_ to shed blood. He needed to taste the robust flavors of the life-giving fluid of the body, the nectar that cried out to him. As it stood, he just might kill his teammates and Inari.

Sasuke and his confusing, tsundere-like advances. Sakura and her probing inquiries. Inari's constant sermons and prophecies of futility and the inevitability of failure. The general sickness that afflicted the Land of Waves. It was all becoming too much for Naruto. Not that it would break him, but it would make him snap.

To counter this seeming inevitability, he would spend his time in a clearing some feet to the south of the house after creating a dozen blood clones to act as his proxies; building with Tazuna or guarding Tsunami when she decided to leave the house. It was in this clearing that he met Haku. It was rather interesting to him, that she thought she could deceive him. He felt her when she claimed the so-called corpse of Momochi Zabuza. But he allowed her to live if only to put her down proper when the time came. Besides that, she made a decent companion; the passionate conversations they had were a welcome reprieve from the soul-rending monotony of the mission. Perhaps this was the reason he didn't just rip her heart out. Her heart. He could tell that, despite lying to him, she was a truly rare and gentle soul. It was a shame that such a soul would soon flee to Yomi.

Eventually, the day of the fated showdown arrived, and not a moment too soon. All Naruto could do by this point was seclude himself from the others. He could literally see each of the veins and the arteries which carried blood to and fro within the body, as well as the heart pumping. So he was grateful to whichever god or goddess was listening when his team left for the bridge. He opted to stay with the mother and son, having the gut feeling that Gato would try to use them as leverage. Not even a full hour after the other three members of Team Seven left, two idiots thought they had what it took to even show up on Naruto's radar.

"Outta the way, brat." the taller of the two insects commanded. "Or we'll cut through you."

"Insects would do well to remember their place." was Naruto's only response.

It was a response that the henchmen didn't seem to appreciate. Not that Naruto cared. But it caused the shorter of the two to make a fatal mistake. He lunged forward, swinging his sword in an unrefined manner. It disgusted the young Espada. The moment the blade made contact with him, a scream sounded out from Tsunami. But the blade snapped cleanly in two. Shock only registered on his face for but a millisecond before, faster than the human mind could process, the young man tore his heart from his chest.

He drained the organ of its blood and crushed it into powder. As the corpse of the thug fell, Naruto was already in front of the taller man. A horizontal swipe of his hand caused the top half of the man's body to explode in a shower of blood, bone fragments, and gristle. It was lucky the door was open. The gruesome spray flew through the open entrance, decorating the foliage outside. On an impulse, Naruto created a clone to watch over the horror-stricken mother-son duo as he left in a visible static.

* * *

"You can't lie to me and expect to live."

Those were the words spoken to Haku as she rushed the downed Uchiha. Her intent hadn't been to kill him but incapacitate him until her and Zabuza's business was concluded. The last Yuki shot from her mirror, a precision bullet about to do her master's bidding. But mere inches from him, visible static appeared and revealed the Uzumaki she spent hours conversing with. His eyes, redder than even the blood in her veins, were as cold and as beautiful as she remembered. She didn't mind that he was the silent, stoic type who was content with just listening to her speak. But he _listened_ to her speak. He'd even helped her. This was her first time hearing his alluring voice, colder than even his eyes. In the space of a few heartbeats, he pointed to the center of her chest and all she knew was darkness.

The concentrated blast of onyx and crimson reiryoku was enough to make the fighting stop for the briefest of moments. The dome of crystallized mirrors shattered at once. Amongst the falling remnants of the jutsu, all could see a still airborne Naruto pointing at the dead girl. She flew toward Zabuza and landed in a boneless heap. Blood fell from the hole in her chest, her sightless eyes had been on the sky. The Demon of the Hidden Mist had not but a moment to comprehend his loss. In the moment it took, Naruto's arm was already through his chest, gripping his still-beating heart.

His crimson, slitted eyes were as cold as ever. Naruto ripped his arm free of Zabuza's chest. Kakashi flinched. He was mere centimeters away from his sensei's son. The boy spoke, his voice a dispassionate tenor.

"I do believe our business is finished here."

Another voice cut in as the sound of clapping closed in. "I wouldn't quite say that."

"Pity," Naruto mused. He moved over to Sakura and Tazuna, deliberately making sure they were all behind him; he may have wanted to kill them over the past month, but they didn't deserve what he was about to do. Gato and his small army on the other hand were a different story. "_Zorro Carmesí: Caza de Zorros."_

Spilled blood rose in accordance with its new master's will, coalescing into a familiar shape that seemed to multiply. Each standing as tall as Zabuza once did, twelve nine-tailed foxes rose. He had to smile. Fox Hunt was one of his favorite original abilities.

"Go." And what followed could only be described as a literal bloodbath.

Sakura, Tazuna, and even Kakashi had to look away from the carnage. But the screams of agony were there. They would never forget the sounds; the gurgling, the ripping and tearing. Gato was last, too afraid to even think about running away. His scream was the loudest.

This is what happened to those insects that forget themselves.

Without a word, Naruto walked to the edge of the ocean of blood and placed his palms into it. Jagged crimson veins raced up his hands and arms, reaching up over his face. Kakashi, who had finally turned his eyes to the scene, was gobsmacked. He watched his pupil absorb the blood. After what seemed like a very long time, the blood was gone as were the foxes and bodies. Naruto stood and went to helo Sasuke up. This was his good deed for the next month. As he passed Kakashi, he reiterated his previous declarative.

"I do believe our business is finished here."

* * *

Tier Harribel was most confused.

The last thing she remembered was being tortured by the Quincy scum. She had been alone in the world since the Captain Commander of the Gotei Thirteen destroyed her subordinates. But a flash of crimson overtook her vision when she was sure she was about to succumb to death. A lone thought crossed her mind as she opened her eyes. The thought that somehow, Uzumaki-san was in some way responsible for her second chance at life. But the question remained. Where was she?

"Harribel-sama?"

Tier turned around so quickly that if she were a human, she would have gotten whiplash. It should not have been possible. But looking about as confused as she felt were Tres Bestias, the call sign of her three Fraccion; Emilou Apacci, Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-Sun. But she still had no idea how this was possible. But the embodiment of sacrifice did not care. In a movement of pure speed unseen to the human eye, she captured her beloved subordinates into a hug. They were back; her friends. Her sisters.

Apacci looked as though she might faint from the attention of her master. Mila Rose smiled. Sung-Sun returned the affections of her master but noticed that they weren't alone. It appeared that her companions noticed it as well. They didn't tense, but the tender moment seemed to fade. As the master released the underlings, they each made a point of looking around. They were surrounded, both by mist and by others.

"Harribel-sama," Sung-Sun said with her sleeve in front of her mouth. "Shall I deal with them?"

Harribel looked around, still unable to see anything because of the mist. "No."

At that moment, the surrounding mist dispersed to reveal that the four Arrancar had been standing in the middle of what looked like a camp. A woman with ankle-length red hair and lovely green eyes stepped forward. Harribel could sense the power the fair-skinned woman held. While it was nowhere near her own, she might be one of the most powerful amongst her own people. Yet it seemed quite pathetic that such an elegant and powerful woman be stationed in the woods.

"May I ask who you are?"

Harribel made a point to take note of each of the woman's forces. None could even stand to her Fraccion in their sleep, nevermind herself. "My name is Tier Harribel."

The other woman did not ask about her subordinates, and for once they remained silent. An interesting thought crossed the mind of Harribel. Meanwhile, Terumi Mei was wary of the four that appeared in the middle of the rebel camp so suddenly. She noticed their confusion, then the tender moment they shared. It was then that she decided they were not part of Yagura's forces; no shinobi could ever fake such tender emotions that played on the face of the dark-skinned blonde. Her name was Tier Harribel, a name as exotic as her appearance, both physically and attire-wise. A moment after she introduced herself, the woman in white gained a faraway look. It was as though she were going through a memory; a fond one, if the look in her eye was any indicator.

"You are… a shinobi?" she asked.

A strange question, given the main profession in this world. "I am."

Despite her high collared top, Mei could swear the blonde was smiling, if only a little. "Are you familiar with one called Uzumaki Naruto?"

The redhead in blue furrowed her brow, rifling through her memory. She shook her head in the negative. "I do not, unfortunately. But if you are willing to help us, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Harribel's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you need help with?"

* * *

Terumi Mei had only been this shocked once in her life.

Yagura's forces continued to attack the blonde-in-white but their kunai bounced harmlessly off of her skin, their jutsu touching her as a gentle caress. Even her clothes went unruffled. But the other terrifying thing was her subordinates; another beautiful dark-skinned woman, one who wielded a western-styled sword, a tomboyish girl with two chakrams, and the serpentine woman who wielded a sai. It scared her how they tore through the opposing forces, undeterred by what damage they may take.

Never had the leader of the rebel forces seen such a massacre. The leader, Harribel, had her own blade in her hand. Though the blade wasn't long, it was unusually wide and hollowed out in the middle. This distinction made the weapon nothing but the edges of the sword, which resembled the dorsal fin of a shark. Mei decided that she did not want to be on the receiving end of the blade.

The slaughter continued well into the evening and it was then that Yagura showed himself. Mei frowned. What cowardly Kage decided to send his forces to death instead of face a threat? It made her sick. The pink-eyed boy with the claw club stared at the blonde-in-white, who stood in front of him without fear. He could not sense and chakra from her, but he could feel the power she held.

Her blade began to glow with a golden light, one that grew brighter still until it looked like a flame of spun gold. Pulling the sword back, she thrust it toward the corrupted Mizukage. A blade of pure energy shot at her opponent. Yagura substituted with a water clone he prepared before but was unprepared for the taller woman to appear before him. Her sword buried itself in his forehead. He went still, before once again melting into a puddle. He began to glow with crimson chakra, the energy bubbling eerily. She didn't allow it. Appearing before him before he could react, she moved to decapitate him with one lateral strike. He ducked with a speed she hadn't expected and went to uppercut the blonde. The blow landed cleanly, but he heard a violent snap coming from his own wrist.

Harribel grabbed the man by his throat and threw him through a couple of buildings, firing another Ola Azul after him. The resulting explosion meant nothing to her. He appeared in her face, but he found his face being palmed by her left hand. Harribel slammed Yagura into the ground.

"Cero." Golden light erupted from the palm of her hand, blinding all who watched.

Yagura was suddenly behind her, having substituted with one of his still-living shinobi. The Tres Espada turned without warning, piercing his heart with her blade. Blood erupted from his lips. The red bubbling chakra faded. A morbid sensation crawled up Harribel's arm, the vibrations from the fading heartbeat resonating through the blade.

"T-Thank y-you," he whispered, closing his eyes as he fell into the darkness.

Rising after saying a quick prayer for the fallen warrior, Tier turned to Mei. "If you don't mind, I would prefer to find him quickly. We will remain nearby."


End file.
